librarydreams's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I really loved the metaphors used in the book as the boy tries to shrink his name. I also love how unshrinking his name parallels his growing abilities on his skateboard, and how Pereira depicts it as a growing, soaring bird.
encounterswiththemoon's review
4.0
The illustrations by Michelle Pereira present the story told by Sandhya Parappukkaran about a young boy who will be attending a new school & is feeling self-conscious about the length of his name. Together, their efforts allow the reader to remember that practice can make perfect — whatever ‘perfect’ may entail — & that it is important to speak our boundaries to those around us so that they don’t inadvertently offend us in their attempts to be inclusive.
I highlight this last part because though the main character has allowed Elly to call him a shortened version of his name, he appears to not necessarily feel comfortable with this option. There are, of course, instances across the globe of people going by nicknames, short versions of their names or even pseudonym. None of these decisions are wrong if they were chosen by the person in question. Even nicknames that might appear outwardly unconnected to the birth name the person has been given, can showcase a positive relationship if the named person feels comfortable with this.
All of that to say, Zimdalamashkermishkada decides to help those around him, primarily Elly, learn to say his name, he does so with patience & remains true to himself. It would not be innately wrong if he wanted Elly to call him ‘Zim’ or if he preferred for others (say, bank tellers, for example) to call him ‘Zim’ rather than spend all his time correcting people who had no practice utilizing their jaw muscles in such a way as to be accurately able to pronounce his name.
I enjoyed this book & I enjoyed the illustrations. I think that this is a case of a story that will feel very comforting to certain individuals but may miss the mark for others. There is little discussion in the story about the ethics behind deciding to go by one’s full name rather than adopting another. Some people are called by their middle name because that’s what they prefer, again, this is all subjective.
As well, I do think it’s important to appreciate where the characters live in terms of expecting people to be able to pronounce certain names. I say this having had the experience of people misspelling & mispronouncing my name, Chantel, a French name, in a French-speaking country wherein my name is not complicated to grasp. Should I go to a part of the world where the letter formations are pronounced differently or represent different sounds, I should not automatically expect people to be able to phonetically sound off my name how it was intended.
This book might open the gateways for further discussions. Though I felt that the length was perfect for the intended age of the reader, I should encourage those who might be reading alongside the young ones to be prepared to discuss the ethics of choosing how one presents themselves & how they feel towards their names & the value they hold regarding having their names spoken properly.
Thank you to Edelweiss+, Abrams Books for Young Readers & Sandhya Parappukkaran for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I highlight this last part because though the main character has allowed Elly to call him a shortened version of his name, he appears to not necessarily feel comfortable with this option. There are, of course, instances across the globe of people going by nicknames, short versions of their names or even pseudonym. None of these decisions are wrong if they were chosen by the person in question. Even nicknames that might appear outwardly unconnected to the birth name the person has been given, can showcase a positive relationship if the named person feels comfortable with this.
All of that to say, Zimdalamashkermishkada decides to help those around him, primarily Elly, learn to say his name, he does so with patience & remains true to himself. It would not be innately wrong if he wanted Elly to call him ‘Zim’ or if he preferred for others (say, bank tellers, for example) to call him ‘Zim’ rather than spend all his time correcting people who had no practice utilizing their jaw muscles in such a way as to be accurately able to pronounce his name.
I enjoyed this book & I enjoyed the illustrations. I think that this is a case of a story that will feel very comforting to certain individuals but may miss the mark for others. There is little discussion in the story about the ethics behind deciding to go by one’s full name rather than adopting another. Some people are called by their middle name because that’s what they prefer, again, this is all subjective.
As well, I do think it’s important to appreciate where the characters live in terms of expecting people to be able to pronounce certain names. I say this having had the experience of people misspelling & mispronouncing my name, Chantel, a French name, in a French-speaking country wherein my name is not complicated to grasp. Should I go to a part of the world where the letter formations are pronounced differently or represent different sounds, I should not automatically expect people to be able to phonetically sound off my name how it was intended.
This book might open the gateways for further discussions. Though I felt that the length was perfect for the intended age of the reader, I should encourage those who might be reading alongside the young ones to be prepared to discuss the ethics of choosing how one presents themselves & how they feel towards their names & the value they hold regarding having their names spoken properly.
Thank you to Edelweiss+, Abrams Books for Young Readers & Sandhya Parappukkaran for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
More...